Claws
by MollyxKookie
Summary: Formerly Seth's Chance by Kitty's Muse. Seth finally imprints on new girl Kathleen, but when a few friends show up he realises things are set to be a whole lot more complicated than he anticipated.
1. Run

**Well, my first Twific. This is adopted from Kitty's Muse, who put the story under adoption. Look on her profile for the original story, Seth's Chance! I'll be editing the chapters one a night until I reach where she stopped, and then it will be entirely me! And credit to my friend Megan for coming up with the name Jade, which will appear later on.  
So, enjoy!  
x MollyxKookie **

**Seth's POV:**

I was running patrol as usual. I did my best to focus completely on the sound of my paws hitting the hard-packed earth as I ran my usual circuit. _Thump thump-thump thump, thump thump-thump thump. _Just the sound of my paws and the forest...

And I just couldn't stand it anymore.

I stopped abruptly, skidding to a halt before hitting a particularly large tree. Not that I would have been hurt anyway. I stood up, shaking out my short fur. I slowly stretched, trying to relieve some of the hard tension in my body. I looked around slowly, evaluating the distance between me and the Cullens. I didn't recognize any of the trees, so I knew I was far enough away that Edward wouldn't be able to hear my thoughts. None of the other wolves had phased either, so I knew I had a private moment to myself finally. I flopped down onto the dirt, exhausted. I laid my head on my large paws, heaving out a huge sigh.

I hadn't stopped because I was tired. I didn't really get tired usually after only running an hour or two. It was because my head was in constant turmoil now. There was just too much happening recently for me to really have any time to sort through it all.

It had been only a couple of months since the Volturi had come, prepared to kill us all. Amazingly, we hadn't even needed to fight. Bella's ability to shield others with her mind had saved us all from destruction. That, and Nahuel.

I sighed. Nahuel. He had also been a cause of some of my most recent stress. My sister, Leah, had come back from the near-battle with the Volturi without seeing him. Then when she had gone to talk to Jacob at the Cullen's house a few days later, she had spotted Nahuel in the corner and immediately imprinted on him, and amazingly (and also luckily for him, otherwise I would have made him pay if he hadn't), he loved her back. They were getting married in just a couple of weeks. I was pleased for Leah, but it didn't change how stressed I felt about it.

I finally decided to reflect on the third cause of my frustrations. Almost all of the older werewolves had imprinted. The only ones who hadn't were Embry and I. Embry was totally fine with it; he had been best friends with Quil and Jacob for a long time and had seen the changes they had gone through firsthand. He had a girlfriend and didn't want to break up with her and break her heart like the infamous Sam/Leah scenario, which had not only caused my sister to be rude and depressing to be around until she had imprinted but also caused her to hate Sam and Emily for what she'd been put through. Embry didn't want to imprint yet, not while he still had Jamie. I snorted disgustedly. We all wanted to avoid him after he had been on a date with her; he was worse than Jared with the whole visual playback thing. No one particularly wanted to know what he did while he was with her, but it was kind of hard not to know.

I, on the other hand, longed to imprint. Most of the girls I knew ignored me, but I wasn't interested in any of them anyway. I had seen the calm serenity and aura of happiness that Jacob, Quil, and Leah had all emulated since they had imprinted. I wished I could be the same way.

Suddenly, I recognized the fact I wasn't alone anymore in my head, and the intruder was the one person I really didn't want to talk to right now.

_That was harsh, _Leah thought. _I thought you loved me. _

_Go away Leah. I really don't want to talk right now._ I replied, ready to morph back if she didn't first.

_Seriously Seth, you become more brain-damaged every day. Do you spend your life running into trees or something? _She thought jokingly as she ran towards me. Great. Just perfect. I wanted to be alone, and _she _showed up.

_Why do you always want to be alone all the time? Are you an Emo or something? Because you'd never pull it off with that tan. _She chuckled. She was joking around again but I could tell that she was actually concerned about me. I really didn't want to hurt her feelings; she was my sister after all, annoying or not. It wasn't her fault she had imprinted and I hadn't...

_Oh, so __THAT'S_ _why you always want to be alone. Kind of stupid really. _She thought as she stopped beside me. She was still the fastest of all the werewolves after all. _I mean, it's not always such a bed of roses, having some undeniable need to make someone happy. He can make me do anything, and he knows I probably wouldn't love him had I not been a wolf._

I snorted angrily at her- as if she would know. She had had no problems with Nahuel not loving her back, and all she had known was him loving her fiercely, kissing her... Eww. I could have done without those thoughts in my head either.

_Don't get all smart-ass with me, baby bro. Just because Nahuel loves me doesn't mean that I don't know about the disadvantages of imprinting. For one, you don't love anyone else ever. _She flinched mentally, but not by much. Before she had imprinted, she would have avoided this topic like the black plague, considering the whole Sam thing...

_I know that. _She thought crossly, but not because of Sam. She didn't care anymore about him anyway because she imprinted on Nahuel._ Now just listen, alright? You're worrying me with your... obsession?_ I growled at her. _Don't get mad at me just because I couldn't come up with a better word! You have got to focus on other things than imprinting. You're just making yourself stressed by thinking about it. _

She was right, but it still didn't help. I needed my own space to think, and yet everyone else kept on intruding. _Let me just have my space, ok? I'm changing back; I can't stand this anymore._

_But Seth! I wasn't finished- _Her thoughts abruptly cut off when I phased back, moving behind a bush to change. I didn't want to hear her babble anymore.

I quickly pulled my shorts on before running off. I didn't have a specific destination, as long as I was away from her and everybody else. Even Edward, one of my best friends and a vampire, intruded on my thoughts because of his abilities to read minds. He didn't bug me about it, though I knew he was slightly worried about me.

Behind me I heard Leah growl in frustration at my departing form. Shortly I heard her large mud caked paws running off in the complete opposite direction.

It was a relief- no more Leah to remind and accidentally taunt me about what I didn't have. I felt a huge grin form on my face as I picked up my speed and ran faster and faster into the unknown.


	2. Praying

**Well, rate/slate? The girl shall be named in the next chapter... I am debating whether I should keep the original name. Oh, and REVIEW!  
x MollyxKookie**

Seth's POV 

I continued running, fleeing from nothing in particular until I had no sense or direction anymore. My location was undeterminable- I had visited an area of the forest that the patrol route didn't touch. The dark trees had changed to harsher pines, densely packed together and I could see several patches of still frozen snow from the colder weather. I sat down on the mud to regain myself. Fatigue had not struck yet, but I needed a moment to regain myself and work out where I was.

After heavy contemplation I came to a conclusion- I was completely lost and nowhere near the usual patrol routes or the treaty line, nowhere near any landmarks or anything to help me find my way back to La Push. I'd hoped to leave the forest in a different direction, to avoid Leah, but I decided it was time to scrap that idea. I was just ready to retrace my steps when I heard it.

My first response was of doubt; who would be up here? We were too far from the trails for any hikers to be nearby and it was too dark and sparse for life to be sustainable for any animal. But as I listened, I could identify the familiar sound: a heartbeat. The one heartbeat I never thought I'd hear up here- a human heartbeat.

I knew it would be unwise to investigate; it was most likely a very intrepid hiker. But for some reason my curiosity was piqued, and I had an uncontrollable urge to go and see who the heartbeat belonged to. Besides, who would be in the snow capped mountains hiking in March? I resolved to quietly check who it was, hopefully remaining unnoticed. I stepped in the direction of the sound cautiously- I didn't want to alarm the person and cause an accident. The day was stressful enough without having to explain to an air-ambulance crew why I felt the need to be shirtless in the mountains jumping out at unsuspecting strangers and causing them to fall down rocky slopes.

As I drew nearer to the mystery stranger I noticed several things. For one, there seemed to be a sudden decrease in temperature in this area- a few inches of snow adorned the floor. Secondly, the person's breathing was shallow and uneven, as if they were gasping for air. Finally, I could smell them, and it shocked me. The person had a very distinctive and unusual scent, like oranges, raspberries, cinnamon and cherry blossom in one delicious mix.

When I rounded the corner I saw her straight away. The girl had beautiful, red tinted brown hair just about down to her shoulders. She was slightly taller than most girls, by a few inches. But the main thing I noticed was that she was face down in the snow, and wearing little more than a water soaked long sleeved top and skinny jeans.  
"Hey, are you alright?" I called out to her as I walked closer, fascinated and at the same time worried.

She was unresponsive, not even twitching or flinching at my voice and as I got closer I noticed her skin was tinted with blue. I rushed over to the girl, knowing that if she stayed in her current position for much longer then she would surely die.

I gently lifted her into my arms, and that's when I really saw her.

She was extremely skinny, and looked as though she had been starved for days. Her pale face was slightly oval, and her pale mouth seemed a little large compared to the rest of her face. But that miniscule imperfection didn't change a thing. In that long moment I felt all my fears of not imprinting dissipate. The unnamed stranger in my arms was all that was important, all that made a difference anymore. I had finally imprinted.

I wondered what the best route of action was. I wouldn't freeze out here, but she already was. I held her close to my body, hoping to warm her up and save her. My imprint couldn't die. I wouldn't let her. With that thought held in my mind, I ran back the way I had come, hoping to reach the Cullen house as soon as possible. I needed Carlisle's help, and badly.

**Edward's POV:**

Bella and I were at the main house. I was sitting on the living room couch with Bella keeping a watchful eye on Renesmee and Jacob who I could see playing in my peripheral vision. I was still a little on edge about them being together, though I knew in my heart that Jacob would never hurt or exploit her purposely.

"Jakey! Play with me!" Renesmee demanded, her copper curls bouncing as she jumped up and down in the air. At the moment she was physically aged about 3 ½, though she was definitely much older mentally. Renesmee was playing hide-and-seek with her "best uncle" Jacob.

Jacob seemed to enjoy playing with her, no matter what they did. I guess that was what imprinting did to you, the capacity to provide whatever the imprintee wanted just to make them happy. Only one person really made a difference once it happened: the one you imprinted upon. "Of course!" Jake smiled. "But this time I'M counting."

He promptly turned to face the white wall and slowly started to count to twenty. Renesmee laughed adorably as she raced upstairs to her favourite hiding place- Alice's closet. She was aware that Jacob would probably not be able to find her there; the closet was huge, and filled with Alice's (and some of Jasper's) clothes and Renesmee was smart and cunning enough to use that to her advantage.

A small played on my lips as I enjoyed the antics of my daughter. Suddenly, a frantic line of thought broke into my mind, distinctive compared to the relatively peaceful thoughts of my family. Seth was thinking so fast that in the beginning I couldn't comprehend exactly what he was trying to convey. I focused harder, and his jumbled thoughts all suddenly became clear.

_Edward! Edward, if you're there, get Carlisle now! I've have to save her; I've got to! Get Carlisle! Help! _

Who precisely was 'her'? I looked closer into the depths of his thoughts, and suddenly realized who she was. At that precise moment Seth held in his arms a skinny girl who appeared to have been starved for days. However it did not explain why he found her so important. Seth was a very giving person and would undoubtedly always try his best to help, but this ran deeper. He felt an undeniable need to save the girl, as if it were necessary to life. Then it suddenly came to me. Seth had finally imprinted, on a stranger nonetheless.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Bella enquired, seemingly concerned. She was studying my face, and I realized that I had a horrified expression. Seth would be crushed to the point of mental death if the girl he held died now…

"Seth needs Carlisle's help, and soon. He's found… his imprint, however she is very close to death. She's drawing nearer by the second." I informed Bella; I was already getting up and about to run to Carlisle.

Bella's gaped at me for a second before she controlled her expression. "Go then, Edward, go! I'll ask Alice if she sees anything about the girl." Bella rapidly leapt up from her seat and ran towards Alice's bedroom, where I could sense Alice already was. She was helping Renesmee stay hidden, oblivious to the situation. I severely doubted that Renesmee needed any assistance.

I rushed up the stairs right after Bella, making a turn down the hallway in the direction of Carlisle's office. I burst through the door, causing Carlisle to jump up in surprise. It was rare for me to invade anyone's privacy without fair warning beforehand.  
"Carlisle! Seth's imprinted but the girl he imprinted upon is about to die. She needs your help urgently!

Carlisle's eyes widened in shock, yet he stood up and rushed to gather his medical equipment purposefully. I grabbed the hospital cot we kept in the house and dragged it to the room across the hall that we kept ready for these kind of incidents. The room was too overused for comfort recently. Carlisle raced past me, pulling on latex gloves and carrying an IV bag and several an extensive medical kit. We prepared the room in mere seconds, and then we both promptly rushed out of the room and the house, passing a confused looking Jacob on the way out of the back door.

As we dashed off the porch, Seth appeared a couple of yards away with the girl. Carlisle was about to rush towards him, ready to grab the girl and bring her in, but I shook my head at him. "I wouldn't take her away from Seth right now." I explained to him. Carlisle looked at me and nodded before rushing back into the house to the readied room.

I turned my attention back towards Seth as I ran through the door. Seth sounded frantic and desperate in his thoughts.

_Don't die, you can't die, don't die, please, please don't die. _He seemed to be silently pleading to the girl in his arms as he rushed past everyone up the stairs, continually repeating his mantra. He knew the drill and took her to where the room was, silently turning into it and setting the girl on the little cot. Carlisle rushed towards her, feeling for a vein in her bony hands and slipping in the needle quietly.

"Seth, put a blanket on her. She needs to warm up slowly; we don't want a sudden temperature change wreaking havoc on the recovery process. We'll add on some more as time goes on." Carlisle ordered, but his instructions were unnecessary. Seth had already been reaching for a blanket and gently settling it over the fragile frame of the girl, tucking the edges underneath her. His thoughts were ruled with desperate pleas for her to live, for her to survive.

"I'm going now." I informed them both before turning towards the door and exiting the airy room. I was aware that Seth needed some time alone with the girl, and Carlisle was already considering departure. A moment later, Carlisle walked out of the room, heading for his office. I could see through Seth's thoughts that he was now holding the girl's hand, silently comforting not only her but himself.

Carlisle, on the other hand, wasn't so certain that the girl would make it through the night. She had been outside for at least three days, and appeared to be wearing thin.

I was praying for Seth's sake that the girl would wake up in the morning.


End file.
